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Fans were overjoyed with Joao Felix's impressive performance for Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League group-stage opener against Royal Antwerp on Tuesday (19 September).
The Portuguese star opened the scoreline with a crisp finish inside the box in the 11th minute of the game before chipping a delicious cross to Robert Lewandowski eight minutes later. The Polish hitman made no mistake and scored his 100th goal in European competitions, doing so with a first-time volleyed finish.
Jele Bataille's own goal and Gavi's powerful strike made the scoreline 4-0 on the night for the Catalan giants. Felix sealed the scoreline midway through the second half, heading home a smart cross from Raphinha.
The 23-year-old has been in brilliant form since his loan transfer from Atletico Madrid this summer. Barca signed him on a one-year loan deal without paying any fee and are covering a big percentage of his wages, as per Football Espana.
Felix made his debut for Barcelona as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 league win over Osasuna earlier this month. Before the game against Antwerp, he netted in his team's 5-0 La Liga win against Real Betis on 16 September.
Talking about Felix's performance against the Belgian side, one fan tweeted:
"The talisman we never knew we needed"
Another added:
"He's about to be a contender for the ballon d'or next season, such a class player"
Here are some other hand-picked reactions from fans on X:
The former SL Benfica striker described a potential transfer to Barcelona as a 'dream' this summer. The Blaugrana don't have any provision to make his loan deal permanent next year.
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez reveals what he told Joao Felix before Royal Antwerp heroics
Joao Felix's career looked to be on a downward spiral since his falling out of favor under Diego Simeone's reign at Atletico Madrid.
Once signed for €126 million by Atletico, Felix was allowed to join Chelsea on a six-month loan deal in January this year. He played in a variety of positions with the Blues and only managed to muster four goals in 20 appearances.
At Barcelona, however, Felix seems to have found his scoring boots once again. Asked what he told the Portuguese forward before the game against Royal Antwerp, Xavi Hernandez told reporters (h/t BarcaUniversal):
"I told João Félix to have fun, to play with simplicity. I told him... 'Simplify your game, and you will score a lot of goals."
With the score at 5-0 and the three points already in the bag, Xavi subbed Felix off in the 68th minute for Lamine Yamal. He left the game having scored from both shots he attempted and recording a 94% accuracy from 35 passes.
